Conveyor systems are configured to sort items into bins located along a travel path of the conveyor system. In a typical system, the items are placed on top of a "flat" by an order filling system, and a central controller activates a divert mechanism to control the unloading of the items on a particular flat into a predetermined bin.
Presently, the flats travel along the conveyor system until a particular flat is located above or adjacent a predetermined bin. A rake is then lowered to wipe the items off the moving flat into the selected bin. Thereafter, the rake is raised to permit passage of other flats supporting items, until another item is to be unloaded from a flat into the selected bin.
Present conveyor systems have a plurality of rakes and bins located along the travel path. The bins are located directly below the flats to enable the rakes to wipe the items off the traveling flat. Present conveyor systems restrict the location of bins to along the sides of the conveyor system thereby limiting the capacity and flexibility of the conveyor system.
Also, the rakes and associated actuating equipment require a substantial amount of "headroom" over the flats such that multi-level conveyor systems are not commercially feasible. The rakes, being movable mechanical equipment, require considerable maintenance and set-up time to ensure proper functioning.
Accordingly, there is a need for a bi-directional belt sorter to eliminate the use of rakes to wipe items off a moving flat. Also there is a need to unload items into predetermined bins located on either side or below the conveyor system. These and other needs are addressed by the conveyor system of the present invention.